BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first air build: Aircraft Plant then Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor, making transports and scouts for allies while transitioning into fighters and occasional bombers over the whole game.

Usually transports first (78%)

#eco #air #team support · 1496 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1799 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Open 3 mex and wind, then drop Aircraft Plant early.
  2. Finish Aircraft Plant and start fighters for scouting and defense.
  3. Eat the Aircraft Plant once production needs outgrow it.
  4. Get Advanced Metal Extractor up to scale eco.
  5. Bring Fusion Reactor online and keep feeding transports, scouts, fighters to allies.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 1496 GAMES
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

  1. 1

    Up to the Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:26, middle half 1:14–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:37 · typical 1:26
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: shuriken (49%) · energy storage (45%) · converter (44%) · light transport (40%)

    By 5:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 3 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 19 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×4
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Mex
    14. Con turret
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Con turret
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine21Wind
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (48%) · fusion (38%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 240 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:17
    5. Wind
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind ×11
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3done 7:41 · typical 6:54
    27. Con turret
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:45
    30. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    31. Wind
    32. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Wind ×6
    42. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:14
    43. Wind
    44. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    45. Wind ×4
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind ×4
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×4
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant ×2
    59. Wind ×6
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Converter
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×3
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Con turret
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×2
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind ×4
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×2
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. Wind ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. ShurikenShuriken
    105. Wind
    106. ShurikenShuriken
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind
    110. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    111. Wind ×2
    112. ShurikenShuriken
    113. Converter
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind ×2
    120. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. BeamerBeamer
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Converter
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. BeamerBeamer
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. FinchFinch
    139. Wind
    140. FinchFinch ×3
    141. Wind
    142. FinchFinch
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind ×2
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant ×3
    159. Wind ×2
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×2
    164. Converter
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant ×2
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind ×2
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×2
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. Converter
    184. ValiantValiant ×3
    185. Wind ×3
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Wind ×2
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. ValiantValiant ×2
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant ×2
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. Converter
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant ×3
    208. Wind ×2
    209. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    210. Wind ×3
    211. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    212. Converter
    213. Wind
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    215. Wind ×2
    216. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    217. Wind ×2
    218. Converter
    219. Wind
    220. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    221. Wind
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind
    224. Con turret
    225. Wind ×4
    226. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    227. Wind
    228. Converter
    229. Wind
    230. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    231. Wind ×3
    232. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    233. Converter
    234. Wind ×2
    235. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    236. Wind ×4
    237. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    238. Converter
    239. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    240. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zimt's (31 OS, 13/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:23 · in 72% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 64% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:42 · in 46% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:23 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:05 · in 96% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

01k2k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

1799 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002052051
5:0027635173
6:003705102124
7:005088146167
8:006898190219
9:009278232270
10:0011753292384
11:0014351373538
12:0017061513781
13:00198507811102
14:002270012641689
15:002570818042405
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air play wins less than half its games, with very low combat losses and kills since the role mostly supports rather than fights.

  • + Own metal lost stays very low, only 2701 by 15:00.
  • + Metal production reaches 25740 by 15:00, a strong support economy.
  • − Team wins under half of games (47%).
  • − Enemy metal destroyed stays low at 2097 by 15:00, showing little direct impact.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

zimt

31.0 OS · 13/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
325 metal received · 60002 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:26Middle 50%: 1:14–1:35 · n=1799
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1740
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1151

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas